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Boni, Filippo
(2023).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-20270-4_14
Abstract
India’s relations with Pakistan have been fraught with tensions ever since the partition of the Indian sub-continent in 1947. The two countries have fought three wars, and there have been countless clashes along the Line of Control. Since 2013, an additional element of strain has entered the bilateral ties between the two countries: the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The latter is the “flagship project” of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, and it has been vocally opposed by India ever since it was first announced in 2013. Drawing on interview data, triangulated with a host or other primary and secondary sources, this chapter outlines India’s concerns around the CPEC and analyses India’s responses to the economic corridor against the backdrop of the wider trajectory of India’s foreign policy. In particular, the chapter dissects the Modi government’s responses to CPEC, with a focus on the development of the port of Chabahar in Iran, and on India’s relations with Gulf Cooperation Council countries. The conclusions provide an evaluation of these policies in the context of Indo-Pakistani relations.